ANNUAL HAYRIDE

one last ride for the night

on a hayride seeing the baby buffaloes

food always tastes better cooked and eaten outside

i love this picture

he looks like a natural, maybe there's a horse in his future

JOHN'S 4th BIRTHDAY

What age does the "fake smile" go away? Does it really matter, he is so incredibly cute.

Look how old he looks. Going to be a real "ladies man" in a few years.

It is really John's birthday but Bella wanted for her birthday to be celebrated at the same time as John's. Bella's is 15 Oct. and then Alex will be 20 Oct. So there will be lots more birthday times. I love having most of my grandbabies here together.

John was SO excited about his Thomas the Train, he couldn't believe it. Plus he got this carrying case for his trains and the top of it is train tracks. John has decided that his case is really a "brief case" for "school" He loves carrying it around.

Bella loved her horse and Barbie, but she was sort of bummed that the horse wasn't big enough for her to ride. Funny girl. She does love this horse though, she can't stop playing with it.

Cupcakes with peanut butter icing. YUM they said.

About to blow out the candles.

My incredible grandbabies. I love them sooooo much.

GARDEN FRESH DINNER

HEMINGWAYS/BASS PRO SHOP

They love the buffet at Hemingways.

Look at that boys lashes.
We are sooo funny!

Waiting area at Hemingways. Just a small sampling of things (as Bella says) "got died and then stuffed."

Taking the stairs instead of one of the elevators.

Can't really see but a big pond full of trout. Right next to the Bear that got died and stuffed. Bella touched it this week.

DINNER TIME

Today everyone was cooking.

For dinner we are having Corned Beef cooked in the Slow Cooker all day. Potatoes cooked in the juices, fresh Cole Slaw, green beans from the garden. Used up all our tomatoes in the house from the garden and made Salsa, yum. I baked Zucchini Bread and this time I put some Chocolate Chips in it. Also made rice pudding from scratch. First time I have ever made rice pudding. I hate it anytime I have ever had it while out. It always tasted like instant vanilla pudding with some rice thrown in. Well I have changed my mind about this. It is delicious. Nothing like what you get at store or in a restaurant somewhere.

I have gotten the cooking bug. I love trying new recipes. I signed up for Allrecipes.com and they send me new recipes everyday.

ADVENTURES WITH MY BABIES

John being silly pretending it's his hat. Bella mostly but sometimes John they will do something or make something and then want me to "put it on the blog for mommy" They love and miss mommy, daddy and Phoebe but are having a good time here.

Bella being really silly. She was excited because we were went to Home Depot. They have one right behind their house at home.

Took kids to "Hemingways" restaurant at Bass Pro Shop in Springfield. They have assume food. The kids loved it. They did like the wall of fish. No, they didn't eat at the bar but before we left we sat them there to take their pictures. Our table was just the other side of the bar so we did have a good view of all the fishies.

Yes the bear is, "died and stuffed" as Bella says. She said that next week she is going "to touch the bear, but not this time."

Them "tending" to be afraid.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Tonight was Happy Meal night at McDonalds. So we went and ate there. They had a good time "terrorizing" the place. OK, really just making lots of noise and in general having a good time. Then left there and they got to see the sun setting, it was a huge fire ball sitting right on the horizon. It seemed so close. Went a mile or so and stopped at the city play ground. They were the only ones there and loved it. They did not want to leave. Pulled into our road and the neighbors horses were at the fence by the road. So we stopped and fed them left over apples from McDonalds. Bella after many tries finally was brave enough to not drop the apple piece before the horses could actually eat from her hand. She loved the feel of the horses lips gathering up the apple to eat. We then pulled into our drive way and the family of rabbits that live by the cars were out and the kids got to get out of the van and walk almost all the way to them. Then all the chicks, geese and turkeys saw we were home and they all came running and surrounded us all the way up to the house. Of course they greet us like that because they though we had some food for them. Anyway, the kids had a nice time, "going out to dinner."